I tried this and just went ‘oh my God’.

Sweet but not too sweet and the ice is of the right consistency.

We complement each other I guess. He’s good at drinks while I’m at baking and cooking.

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I guess this is rather trivial, but i’d just like the world to know i regret adding the excess fibre from the juicer to my juice.

I’m now eating apple mush, instead of enjoying the juice.

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That’s why I love making soup over a charcoal stove. Trust me on this – even if it’s a metal pot, the end-product is so much more aromatic than if using a gas stove.

Tip: try stir frying noodles over charcoal.

Grilling Soup – The grill adds flavor to anything you cook, even soup.

It’s a joke so old that no one remembers how it goes; grilled soup, but I’m not talking about pouring a can of soup on your cooking grate, I’m talking about adding real grill flavor to your next homemade soup or stew. Obviously, grilling meats for soup is a great idea. Everything from steaks to sausages are going to pick up lots of extra flavors from the grill and take that to your soup. But you really need to think about all the ingredients that you can easily grill from bell peppers and potatoes to tomatoes.

Speaking of tomatoes, try a grilled tomato soup. It is better than the traditional method of blanching the tomatoes in boiling water, and far, far better than that stuff from the can. To make an easy homemade tomato soup start with a lot of ripe tomatoes. Cut them in half and brush lightly with olive oil. For extra flavor, use an olive oil flavored with garlic, pepper and/or oregano. Place the tomatoes cut side down on your hot grill and close the lid. In about 3 to 5 minutes the skins will be loose and the tomatoes will be ready for soup. If you like tomatoes like I do you really have to get a smell of those toasted tomatoes on the grill.

Take the tomatoes from the grill and let them cool down enough to work with. If you cut out the stem end of the tomato you’ll find you can simply lift off the skin. The juice and seeds will have loosened and you can literally squeeze that out of the tomatoes. Throw them in a blend and blend until smooth. Heat in a saucepan and you have tomato soup. Of course you’ll want to add something to flavor your soup, but this really is a great way to make a great soup, and you can tell people you made it on the grill.

When it comes to grilling meats for soup you want to really season it up before you grill. Think about adding the seasonings for your soup to the meat as a rub. Whether you are adding beef steaks or chicken breasts, or anything else, by applying a thick, flavorful rub to the meat you get extra seasonings for the soup. When I say a thick rub, I mean something more than you would probably dream of if you were simply going to eat that meat by itself. Be careful not to dislodge the rub when you remove the meat from the grill and cut it up for your soup or stew. This way you season the soup by seasoning the meat.

All kinds of vegetables can be grilled quickly and easily for soups. Lightly brush vegetables with oil and place them on a hot grill. Since all this is going into a pot to cook more anyway you don’t need to get everything completely cooked through, just grilled enough to add that great flavor and to soften skins for easy removal.

So next time you want to make a homemade soup or stew start by firing up the grill.

I’m basing this quick review of the Ship Restaurant’s cream puff with reference to Goodwood Park’s.

Among the hotels in Singapore, i haven’t come across any that makes a better cream puff than Goodwood Park’s (let me know if you have – i’m a big sucker for cream puffs). GP bakes light and fluffy ones that are generally quite fresh. A dour, or worse, a soggy cream puff is an absolute disappointment.

However, The Ship Restaurant’s are just as good, if not better. The homemade pastry is crisper, and fuller than Goodwood’s. If you prefer a lighter dessert, go for Goodwood’s, if not try out Ship’s. Moreover, the cream in the former is not too sweet but very creamy. Either way, it fills your mouth and you leave lunch feeling happier and pleased with yourself.

These puffs are available with the set lunch only on tuesdays (have to confirm that), but they are oh-so-fresh when served. Recommend you begin lunch anytime from 12 – 1, where these pastries are ‘just right’.

As with any cream-filled pastry, it can’t be kept past two days if you decide to take it home. So please, don’t delay personal gratification in this case.

And given the excellent and homely service at The Ship, you have absolutely no excuse for not dropping by:

THE SHIP RESTAURANT AND BAR:

Shaw Centre

#04-34/36,

1 Scotts Road S(228208)

I unreservedly give its cream puffs a 5/5.

p.s. i’ve been a loyal customer all of my life, even while still in mummy’s tummy.

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Two Servings of Goodness

I hereby present Coffee Club’s Mud Pie. Yes, it doesn’t look like the conventional brownie-esque desert, and also, looks more of an oil spill than a mud bath. A luscious oil spill at that.

As of habit, i blog about a particular restaurant/cafe’s food only after multiple visits.

Personally, i’m not a very big fan of chocolate sauce – i’d rather get my own fondue and empty it all over the darn cake. Chocolate sauce is an oxymoron, at least to me. Chocolate is not meant to be a thin synthetic lubricant; it has to delight and comfort and uplift in its Holy Thickness.

But in this case, the sauce was saved by a generous topping of what seemed to be oreo-like crumbs powder. And my mum was right to get them to add more sauce. Food in spartan quantities is never a happy affair.

Under that generous topping were two layers of ice cream cake that were simply heaven when combined. And all that on a thin but gooey brownie base. However, each costituent layer didn’t seem all that delicious, but the gestalt whole (sauce, ice cream , and all), was quite a decent proposition, especially with that powder naughtily grinding itself on your hard palate.

But, but, like my vauge writing, there’s something missing to this mud pie. I’ve absolutely no idea what to make out of it. It’s neither delicious like a properly done sorbet or heartening like a chocolate fondue. It’s good no doubt, but it doesn’t thrill my soul. It doesn’t call me out for a second date.

I’d give it a 3.5/5 stars, for it’s decent, but i’ve no idea what to make out of it. And besides, i wouldn’t dare have it more than once a month. If it’s your first time, i’d say, ok, try it. But if it isn’t, you should have bloody made up your mind about it already ;)

Bloody hell – $3 singapore dollars for a little miyagi of guava juice…

Note the similiarities in height of the cup with the dim sum basket.

Short and uber expensive! (if you get my drift…)

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It’s quite a big fair, as always.

Ends 4 October.

(photos taken at Ngee Ann City’s B2 exhibition space)

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Durian cake at the Big O makes me happy :)

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I like museli
I like bran
I like cereal in boxes that look grand!

(oh well, who am I kidding with the last line)

But I honestly do like museli and bran. Banana nut cereal and a nicely toasted muffin never fails to brighten a morning. :)

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